Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the overcrowding on trains operating between the Thames Valley and the Midlands.

CrossCountry has increased the number of services on this route as part of its timetable re-organisation in May 2023, although some trains have become busier as a result.

We expect CrossCountry to monitor this and seek opportunities to mitigate it in future. The Department is working on a new contract for CrossCountry. Subject to demonstrating an appropriate business case, the intention is that this will facilitate increased capacity on CrossCountry routes in future.